By
Sher Matsen
Sterling
silver is an excellent choice in estate jewelry. Long lasting, easy
to care for, and so beautiful. Buying estate jewelry sterling silver
can be a lot of fun but it can also be confusing.
Whether
you are looking at sterling silver for a gift for that special
someone or looking to add to your own jewelry to make that fashion
statement, it’s important you understand the terms that are used
throughout the industry.
Once
you understand the terminology you will be better equipped to choose
quality pieces of sterling silver jewelry and you’ll be able to
complete your purchases with a lot more confidence.
It
doesn’t matter whether you are buying on line or at your local
store. It doesn’t matter if you are buying in the USA or Canada or
in Europe or China. The terminology used to describe silver are the
same around the world.
Sterling
silver jewelry has always been popular and remains so today.
Sterling silver estate jewelry has also shared it’s time in the
limelight but in recent years its popularity has exploded. That’s
because buyers are looking for something a little more unique than
modern sterling silver can offer.
Everyone
knows how beautiful sterling silver is and how durable it is, that’s
one of the reasons it’s such a popular choice. And of course let’s
not forget how affordable it is!
Silver
has it history into ancient times, but has not survived as well as
gold. Unlike gold which has no ill effects from age and exposure
sterling silver does. It deteriorates over time.
Throughout
history sterling silver has experienced bursts of popularity where
it was far more vogue than wearing gold jewelry. Today is one of
those periods in time!
Silver
is the most common of all the precious metals. Fine silver is pure
silver but it not commonly used for jewelry because it is way too
soft and bends and breaks far too easily.
Instead
fine silver is mixed with copper. 925 parts of silver are mixed with
75 parts of copper which is just enough copper to firm up the silver
to make beautiful jewelry. This 925 grade is called sterling silver
throughout the world and is recognized as the purest form of silver
available for jewelry.
This
is the mark you are looking for. Either that or the actual sterling
mark. Both will guarantee you that what you are buying is sterling
silver and not some cheap base metal like nickel which will wear and
look awful very quickly.
Silver
has many benefits over gold. It is much lighter weighing about half
as much as gold. It is much more flexible but not as malleable so it
allows for beautiful jewelry creations. Lastly it is much less
expensive yet it will last you your lifetime and probably those of a
couple of more generations. Two exact pieces one in silver and one
in gold. The gold piece will cost 5 to 6 times more than the
sterling silver piece.
Current
fashion trends which include a lot of black or dark materials have
added to the popularity of sterling silver as it looks very well
with black. In fact it has much more of a dramatic impact than gold
does.
Silver
likes to be worn. It helps keep it shiny and beautiful. Left hanging
for any length of time means you’ll need to polish it to remove the
tarnish. In our fast paced world silver is an excellent choice. Just
as we have wash and wear clothing silver is an excellent grab and
wear style of jewelry.
So
the next time you are in the market for some quality sterling silver
jewelry be sure to check out estate silver jewelry!
About the author - Sher from Estate Jewelry International has
been serving customers for over 20 years, providing fashion,
jewelry, and wedding help. Please visit us at http://www.estatejewelryinternational.com/